News from the Nest

Hello Elm Street School Families and Friends,

You all sure know how to make all our educators feel loved, supported, and appreciated! Thank you for all the generous acts of gratitude from delicious treats to flowers and hand made cards and more. And another HUGE shout out to Erin Harrington and Tammy Rourke for all their coordination, set up, and executing of all the special events!

Amidst all the love for our educators, our Eagles were working hard at the Nest finishing up MCAS, using Book Creator to write about what they like about Walpole in celebration of the town's 300th birthday, studying seed dispersal, having an exciting visit from the Discovery Museum, and so much more!

In this week's News from the Nest you will find additional information about:

• Upcoming Dates/Events: May
• May/June Counseling Newsletter
• Elm Street School Talent Show Save the Date
• Incoming Kindergarten Events
• Spring Concert Save the Date
• Battle of the Books Planning Team Update
• Elm Street School Gear Sale
• WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form
• Walpole Road Race Information
• Plant Factory Sale at Walpole Day
• Friday Family Fun Sponsored by JWCW
• Elm 180 Fundraiser

This week we are beginning our class placement process. During each grade level team meeting we will be looking at each student individually to as we work to build balanced cohorts. Our classroom teachers, special educators, essentialists, academic specialists, related service providers, and guidance team will all spend time providing input and collaborating on building these cohorts over the next several weeks. Within each collaborative conversation we will take into consideration every student's unique learning profile, strengths, opportunities for growth, social emotional needs, identities, and peer relationships. Our goal is to build balanced cohorts that support opportunities for each student to grow and thrive next year.

I hope to see many of you around at Walpole Day tomorrow (Saturday May 11th)!

Jen

• Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month

• Mental Health Awareness Month

• Jewish American Heritage Month

• 5/1: Grade 5 Math MCAS Session 2, 6:00p District Art Show at Walpole Public Library

• 5/2: Grade 4 Math MCAS Session 1

• 5/3: Grade 4 Math MCAS Session 2

• 5/5: Cinco de Mayo, Yom Hashoah

• 5/6-10: Educator Appreciation Week

• 5/6: Spring Photo Day, 7:30p Spring Town Meeting

• 5/7: Grade 3 Math MCAS Session 1

• 5/8: Grade 3 Math MCAS Session 2

• 5/9: Grade 5 STE MCAS Session 1, 6:45p School Committee Meeting

• 5/10: Grade 5 STE MCAS Session 2

• 5/12: Mother's Day

• 5/15: 6:30p Incoming Kindergarten Family and Caregiver Orientation

• 5/16: 9:00/9:40a K and 1 Spring Concert, 7:00p PAC Meeting

• 5/17 Early Release Day

• 5/21-22: Incoming Kindergarten Screening Days

• 5/23: Vesak, 9:00/9:40a Grades 2 and 3 Spring Concert, 6:45p School Committee Meeting

• 5/24 Wellness Day at Elm

• 5/27: Memorial Day

• 5/30: 9:00/9:40a Grades 4 and 5 Spring Concert

• 5/31: Elm Street School Night at Fenway Park

Our Elm Student Council is organizing a K-5 Talent Show. The plan is for the show to be on Monday June 10th from 6:00 - 7:00p in the Elm Cafetorium. Look for more information on how to sign up in the coming weeks. If you are interested in volunteering to help on the night of the Talent Show, please reach out to Jen Buller directly.

We are really looking forward to welcoming all our new kindergarteners and their families to our Nest here at Elm during Incoming Kindergarten events. The day that our new kindergarteners and their families visit our school is one of the most joyful days of the school year! We hope that our special sneak peek into Kindergarten, in concert with our Kindergarten Family Meeting and Kindergarten Screening, will help make the transition to kindergarten as smooth as possible for you and your child(ren).

• Incoming Kindergarten Family Meeting (adult caregivers only): Wednesday May 15th 6:30p Elm Street School Cafetorium

• A link to a virtual meeting will be shared with kindergarten families the Monday before the meeting for anyone unable to attend in person

• Kindergarten Screening (adult caregivers and incoming kindergarteners): by appointment on May 21st and May 22nd

• Please sign up for one 30 minute time slot per child here

• Arrive and check in at the main office 5-10 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time

• Please fill out this intake form prior to your scheduled appointment

• At the screening appointment students will meet with a member of our kindergarten team to complete a short developmental screening assessment that will look at their motor, language and social development, self-help and concept skills. Adult caregivers will have the opportunity to meet with myself or our school adjustment counselor Sarah Iandoli to review the intake form and share any additional information or questions you may have.

• Incoming Kindergarten Peek and Practice Day at Elm Street School (adult caregivers and incoming kindergarteners): June 3rd 1:45 - 2:30p

• plan to arrive at the main entrance around 1:30p and leave plenty of time to find parking and walk to the main entrance by the flagpole

• Students will be divided into 4 groups and head to a kindergarten classroom to experience and practice kindergarten activities together

• Adult caregivers will meet in the Cafetorium for a meeting with our Parent Advisory Council (PAC)

• Students will get walked out and meet their adult caregivers on the playground at the end of the event

• In order to attend the Peek and Practice day you MUST complete a kindergarten screening appointment (see above)

Be sure to mark your calendars for our Spring Grade Level Concerts!

In the spring, students in grades K-5 will have an opportunity to share what they have been learning throughout the year with their families! Performances will feature the culmination of their work demonstrating skills and concepts learned throughout the academic school year.

The concerts will be held during the school day, on the following dates:

Thursday, May 16th

Grade K - 9:00 am

Grade 1 - 9:40 am

Thursday, May 23rd

Grade 2 - 9:00 am

Grade 3 - 9:40 am

Thursday, May 30th

Grade 4 - 9:00 am

Grade 5 - 9:40 am

Thank you to the families and educators who met this past week for our second meeting regarding the relaunch of Battle of the Books. Below is a quick update and where we are in the process:

• investigated and shared models from Fisher and Boyden
• identified and discussed challenges to current model at Elm
• next meeting we will look at possible paths forward

Our Student Council has partnered with the Run House here in Walpole to sell Elm Street School and Walpole gear. 10% of sales from our online shop will be donated to the Walpole Council on Aging. Visit our online shop here: https://therunhouse.com/collections/elm-street-school

The WPS Summer Learning Program enrollment form is now open to families. The form in the link below is to enroll your current K-5 student(s) in the program. Please note: you will need to complete a separate form for each child you are enrolling. Be sure to pay attention when entering your student’s grade level and school. All enrollment forms must be completed by Tuesday, May 29th. Due to high demand and limited staffing, some grades and sessions may be limited on a first come first serve basis. As always, if there are any questions please do not hesitate to contact us by using the email provided below.

2024 WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form

2024 WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form (Arabic)

2024 WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form (Mandarin)

2024 WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form (Creole-Haitian)

2024 WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form (Nepali)

2024 WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form (Portuguese)

2024 WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form (Russian)

2024 WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form (Chinese)

2024 WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form (Spanish)

2024 WPS Summer Learning Program Enrollment Form (Ukrainian)

I hope to see many of our Eagles and their families this year alongside me at the Walpole Labor Day Road Race in September!

Registration is now open for the 51st Annual Walpole Labor Day Road Race! Don’t miss this wonderful Walpole tradition. Sign-up now for the 5K, 10K, or Youth Mile. All proceeds support the 200+ athletes in the Walpole High School Cross Country / Track & Field Program. Each race participant will receive a finisher’s medal. If you register before August 15th, you’ll also receive a free race t-shirt! Can’t join us live? No problem. We have virtual editions for both the 5K and 10K races. For additional information and to register online, please visit www.walpoleroadrace.org. See you on Race Day - Monday, September 2nd!

Email: jbuller@walpole.k12.ma.us
Website: https://www.walpole.k12.ma.us/o/ess
Location: 415 Elm Street, Walpole, MA, USA
Phone: 508.660.7374